12 Ways to be More Efficient on the Job Hunt

A job hunt has several distinct components, beginning with a sound LinkedIn profile, cover letter and resume that hopefully leads to an interview, and finally, a job. As you can imagine, there are a quite a few steps in between. The real question is how can you be efficient without cutting corners in every realm? Fortunately, in this day in age, there are a ton of tools and techniques to keep your entire job search organized, and hopefully short! Here are 12 quick tips to maximize efficiency:

Resume

Keep it concise: Hiring mangers spend a measly 6 seconds looking at candidates’ resumes. Cut out the fluff and focus on getting your main points across. Show your accomplishments and experience by quantifying results, using specific numbers or reiterating key responsibilities that stand out.

Spice it up: One of the worst things a candidate can do is provide a boring resume. Keep it interesting by using words such as generated, critiqued, benefited, financed, projected or retained. To view even more great words, click here!

Create a portfolio: If you can, store all your work in one place, and have two versions: electronic in a flash drive and hard copy in nice, leather portfolio. A portfolio of work is perhaps the quickest and simplest to prove to a hiring manager you can do the job!

The Search

Recent job listings: Look for job postings that have been displayed only within the last couple of weeks. Those older postings you come across are often outdated. The hiring manager could already be in the middle of interviewing or even have a job offer out there before he/she remembers to take it down!

Evaluate your strategy: Allocate time periods to searching, resume writing and interview prepping. Separating each part of the job search into chunks of a couple hours or so will keep you working on each skill with a fresh mind.

Apply carefully: Instead of applying to a lot of jobs just because the listing is available, only focus on the positions you are truly interested in or qualified for.

Tap into connections: You never know when an old connection can lead you to an open door! During your search, contact people who could potentially help you during your job hunt. This could mean a mentor, previous professor or former supervisor. Try shooting them a quick email or setting up a time to chat on the phone!

Use LinkedIn: Consider LinkedIn as an extended version of your resume. On a resume, you have limited space, but you can use LinkedIn to expand on experiences because there’s more space to write! You can also leverage the platform by crafting personalized messages to connections for further information on a job posting, company, or specific position.

Interview

Research the top dogs: Prior to an interview, look into the executives and management in a company. By researching currently employees, you can get a feel of the general work experience required, the overall culture and the potential people you will work with! Plus, name dropping an executive is a quick way to show the interviewer you did your homework!

Practice difficult role plays: The tougher the interview role plays you practice, the better prepared you will be to nail it in real life. Challenge yourself by asking a peer to act as a potential employer and focus on questions you struggle with. Be sure to ask for honest feedback!

Keep a notebook: After each interview, document key takeaways, like the names of people you met and key parts of the conversation. This can be a lifesaver while writing thank you notes and when you’re following up!

Even though all of the components of a job search can be daunting, there are little things you can do to stay organized and efficient. Keep these tips in mind during your next job hunt. Do you have any more quick tips? Please share below: